PowerReviews March 2008 Newsletter

Greetings!

One of the hottest catchphrases that today's retailers are hearing is "Social Navigation." But what does it mean and why do we need it? Simply put, Social Navigation allows shoppers to search for products on retail sites based on feedback from customers just like them. This highly relevant information gathered during the customer review process can be incorporated into site search and navigation functions. This allows shoppers to search for products based on aspects that are specifically important to them such as being "soft," "easy-to-assemble," or "great for day hikes," rather than what is being marketed to them such as color, style, or even new arrival.

For online shopping, PowerReviews is the engine behind Social Navigation. We use a structured review format to collect key customer insights such as likes and dislikes about a product and its intended best use - and then leverage that knowledge through integrations with our search partners such as Mercado, SLI, and Endeca to allow shoppers to quickly and confidently find the right product for their specific need or interest.

Social Navigation isn't just the flavor of the day. It's at the heart of who we are and what we have been doing from day one: collecting the most relevant reviews with our tag-based review system, creating an informative "snapshot" so shoppers can easily see the consensus, and implementing, measuring, and developing best-practices for Social Navigation with our own e-commerce site, Buzzillions.com. I invite you to read more about how our company vision is playing out in the real world as an increasing number of merchants are driving real bottom-line benefits by making our Social Navigation tools a key component of their e-retail strategies.

- Andy Chen, Founder and CEO

A Retail Success Story

Onlineshoes.com has "turned theory into practice" by making PowerReviews' Social Navigation tools an integral part of its online shopping experience. Shoppers can search for shoes according to real customer feedback based on "my favorite uses" and "why I like it." Product selections, therefore, can be narrowed by a shopper's interest in shoes that are "warm," "comfortable," or "dries quickly," and are "great for day hikes" or for "wet weather." To experience Social Navigation firsthand, scroll down the navigation past size, price, and color to "Customer Feedback."

Beyond Social Navigation, "Onlineshoes.com is leveraging PowerReviews to not only provide fantastic user-generated reviews for our shoppers, but also in our newly launched, Customer Favorite Shop," said Jimmy Healey, Product Manager of Onlineshoes.com. "We use the Customer Favorite Shop to enhance the customer experience and gauge how a product is being received by our customers. For example: when product feedback is negative, PowerReviews data can be leveraged to gain the support of our vendors which allows us to make decisions that benefit both our customers and our business."
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Buzzillions: Pioneer in Social Navigation

In addition to giving individual retailers the ability to incorporate Social Navigation into their Web sites, our own online retail portal - Buzzillions.com - was the first site ever to offer Social Navigation. Today, more than 1,000,000 customer reviews, or "customer voices," are integrated throughout the entire shopping experience, helping to both guide and inform shoppers to make more informed purchase decisions. Visit Buzzillions.com to see the enormous variety of products and reviews.
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Jay Shaffer’s Blog

Two words that will never be used to describe Jay Shaffer, our VP of Sales & Marketing: "Shy" and "Retiring." To get his unvarnished (and unapologetic) views on reviews, online retail and anything else that's on his mind, visit his personal blog.
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